Sources of Indoor Air Pollution

Allergens and pollutants
in my house? Where on earth did they come from? Here is a list of some
of the common sources of indoor air pollution:

People

So much for simply removing
the sources of pollution to control allergies! The fact is, people shed
more skin than just about any other animal. About 80% of what you see
floating in a ray of sunshine entering your home is dead human skin,
and we can only see about 10% of the airborne pollutants. The rest are
too small to see, but not too small to inhale! And as the primary food
source for dust mites (yes, dust mites are alive!), each flake of skin
hosts a multitude of them.

Dust

Inside your home, about
40 pounds of dust is generated per 1,500 square feet per year. Each speck
of dust serves as a means of locomotion - meaning a way to get into your
lungs - for about 40,000 dust mites and illness-causing bacteria, germs,
and viruses.

Carpet, Plywood and
Other Construction Materials

The "new" smell
associated with new carpet, newly painted walls, new home, remodeled
room, etc. is actually the out gassing of the chemical solutions used
to treat or produce these products.

Mattresses and Furnishings

Treated with fire retardants
and other chemicals, which add to the chemical vapors we breathe inside,
these items are necessities that actually damage our health. Additionally,
mattresses and pillows are known havens for dust mites and a main allergic
trigger for most sufferers.

Pillows and Blankets

Dust mites comprise
over 50% of the weight of the average pillow.

HVAC Systems

HVAC (heating, ventilation,
and cooling) systems create a truly artificial environment, by stripping
the air of the same natural elements that make the air in the mountains
so invigorating and healthy. HVAC systems don't just take out the good
elements, but they also add harmful elements to the air. Air ducts serve
as a prime breeding ground for mold spores, and few people ever clean
them. Read about our In-duct Air Purifiers to see how these units keep
your HVAC ductwork clean and purify your whole house.

We literally poison
the air we breathe with chemical fumes and toxins when we use these products
- and that's just in a normal home. Imagine what the air's like in a
hotel or motel that's doused with industrial-strength cleaners every
single day! Out of the more than 600 active ingredients in these products,
the EPA has reviewed only 4 for safety.

Moist Things or Humid
Environments

Pets

Airborne animal dander
(dried spit from the animal that breaks off the end of their hair and
floats in air since they are so small) is a common trigger for allergies
and asthma. Plus, the feces from your pet emit added - and very unpleasant
- contaminants into the air.

Insects and Other
Bugs

Insects and bugs leave
feces throughout the home, which ultimately end up in the air we breathe.
In a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, more
than half the homes tested in the study had high numbers of cockroaches.
Children living in these homes were more than three times as likely to
be hospitalized for asthma.

Food

Food, whether inside
the refrigerator or on the counter, serves as a breeding ground for bacteria
and mold spores, which end up floating in the air we breathe. Even our
kitchen trash can contributes a huge volume of illness-causing bacteria
and unpleasant odor to our indoor air.

Smoking

Smoking in a home, office,
place of business, or vehicle leaves the air dense with cancer-causing
toxins. Even by smoking outside, toxins from the 3600 chemicals emitted
as a result of tobacco smoke cling to the clothing. Many of these toxins
release themselves into the air once inside.

Studies have shown that "second-hand
smoke" is up to four times more carcinogenic than smoke inhaled
directly from a cigarette. This is because the smoker is breathing it
through a filter - and those around him are not.

Vehicles

Recent studies show
that most people face their worst exposure to polluted air while inside
their vehicle. Pollen builds up in your vehicle's a/c system. Think your
a/c unit cleans the air before it cools it and pumps it into your car?
Nope. Exhaust and gasoline fumes from the cars in front of you in traffic
come right in virtually unfiltered. This can cause drowsiness, nausea,
dizziness, headaches, and behavior problems.